Warning: OC in this chapter. Manako is my own creation. If you have read my other stories, she is familiar to you. If not...well, I hope you're not the type to go into conniptions because there's an OC in a fic. She's not going anywhere anytime soon :)

Kakashi stands on the roof of the Hokage Tower, gazing down upon the village that he is now in charge of.

In the distance, construction has started on Hokage Rock, builders and sculptors etching his face on to the mountain. He's still not quite sure how to feel about the whole thing – he thinks Obito would have a lot to say on the subject if he were here. As it is, he's had to deal with Naruto petitioning to have the rock-face carved without Kakashi's mask.

I've got to give it to him, he managed to get a decent following on that front, too. Almost enough people to make it happen.

He smirks to himself, wondering idly if the joke he shares with his former students will ever get old – and then sighs again when it remembers that at least two of those former students are far too occupied with other matters these days to care.

Konoha is a village in transition, with the ruins of the old core being lovingly put back together by its inhabitants. A new business quarter is in the building process on the outskirts, and far above Hokage Rock surveying has already started on another section.

Since the end of the war, migrant workers and refugees have been keen on setting up shop here, lured by the promise of work and raising their children in the same village where Naruto Uzumaki was born. Franchisers and moneylenders are keen to capitalise on this, too. Kakashi personally finds it distasteful, but with the economy still in recovery following Pein's attack and the War, the village can't afford to be picky.

A problem for another day, he decides, shrugging his shoulders. He is keen to head home.

It's rare that he ever gets away from work before sunset these days, and he's looking forward to eating something that's actually cooked instead of out of a cup. Either he'll visit Gai, who has taken up fine cuisine as his latest hobby, or see if Manako wants to go out for a meal. She might not be a fan of cooking, herself, but she has a talent for suggesting the perfect take-out for any occasion.

Honestly, he's not picky as long as he doesn't have to make anymore decisions today –

"Lord Kakashi! There you are!" Shizune calls.

So close… Kakashi's shoulders droop, and he mutters, "Knock it off with the 'lord' thing…"

"I know you're about to leave, but there are a few things we still need to go over first," his assistant says.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" he asks, trying not to sound like he's whining. Shizune puts her hands on her hips, and beside her Ton Ton emits an unimpressed oink! and sighs. "Alright, let's go back downstairs…"

Once he's firmly trapped – or comfortably seated – behind the desk, Shizune flips open her ever-present notepad and begins to run through the items.

"We've just received another two letters from the Raikage demanding information about Sasuke Uchiha," she tells him.

"Well, that's slightly below average," Kakashi remarks mildly. "He must be cooling off."

"It seems so. Shall we give him the same answer as usual?"

Kakashi nods. "Sasuke Uchiha will face Konoha's justice, which will take into account all of his actions in the war. As such, there will be no extradition."

Shizune purses her lips at this. She's one of the people who considers this a lax handling of the former missing-nin's case – she took it to heart that he intended to kill her master – but Kakashi knows she'll eventually get over it.

He's seen Sasuke go through hell and fall to the worst darkness imaginable before coming back. If Kakashi has to put every part of himself on the line to ensure the kid has a decent shot at a future, he'll do it. He owes him that much – he owes all of his former genin squad that much.

"The Mizukage is requesting a private meeting with you," Shizune goes on eventually, knowing that any commentary on the issue of Sasuke will be ignored. "Something about nectar imports? Which is sort of odd for this time of year…"

"And not really something I handle," Kakashi says. "That's more the business sector, isn't it?"

"I think she's angling for a date, Lord Sixth."

Kakashi shudders. "Uh, I'm unavailable. Forever, I think, if I remember how the vows go. Have Shikamaru take that one."

"He's not going to be happy about it."

"Tough."

Shizune checks something off in the notebook. "Iwa's responding to the query we sent out a few weeks ago, about the Chūnin Exam. They're onboard."

"Which means it's only Kiri and Kumo that haven't responded yet. Have Shikamaru bring that up when he meets the Mizukage. And while you're at it, add a note about it to the reply to the Raikage."

"Right." Another check. "The Elders want to discuss rezoning the village."

"Again?"

"Yes."

"And what particularly do they want to discuss?" Kakashi challenges, eyes narrowed.

"Well…"

"It's the Uchiha compound, isn't it?"

"To be fair, it's not so much a compound anymore as a bunch of ruins," Shizune says nervously, "so I can sort of see their point –"

"We're not touching it."

"But Lord Sixth –"

"No one in this village is being rezoned without having a say in the matter, and until the Uchiha clan – such as it is – is able to offer input on the subject, the compound stays."

"Lord Kakashi, they don't have to wait on your approval," Shizune reminds him quietly, "you might as well at least try to salvage part of it while you can."

"I know they don't have to wait on my approval. But I also have no intention of supporting a decision that ignores the interests of a member of this village. Sasuke might not care now, but in the future he will. Besides, Naruto will nag me about until he drives me insane," Kakashi replies. "He's not about to allow the Uchiha legacy to be erased any further. And knowing him, he'll end up getting the whole village standing in front of construction crews and protesting in the streets." He leans back in his chair and folds his arms across his chest. "I can pick my battles. So can the Elders."

"They're not going to be happy about that," Shizune remarks uncertainty.

"And again, I say – tough."

If he had his way, he'd have removed Koharu and Homura from their positions as soon as he took office. But as he told Shizune, he knows how to pick his battles. Getting rid of the Elders, or the institution that supports them, is something he isn't equipped for right now. And his goals extend beyond his own simple distrust of them – he intends the next generation of Konoha's villagers to be safe and unafraid to use their voices.

Not ruled by the machinations of those in the shadows, he decides. If that's the only legacy he can pass on to Naruto, it's one he's totally committed to.

"Uh…moving on. There's an artist of some sort from Iwa that wants to meet with you. It has something to do with permission he needs to work on some collectable cards? I'm not really sure I understood the message…"

"That doesn't sound urgent, let's deal with it tomorrow. Anything else?"

"Captain Yamato sent a clone to speak to you. Updates about his surveillance mission I imagine."

Kakashi sighs.

"If it makes you feel any better, it's the last thing on the list and then you can go home."

"As long as you don't find anything else for me to do, right?" Kakashi challenges, and Shizune shifts her weight, a guilty expression on her face. "Fine. Send him in."

As she disappears, Kakashi rubs the back of his head, trying to figure out where the paperwork ends and where his desk begins. In the one corner that isn't obscured with memos, the photograph of Team 7 offers him a rare reminder of why he bothers with all of this.

Taking the frame in hand, he stares down at the familiar faces, hit once again with the disbelief that they are all still here and alive. He can see any of them at any point if he so chooses (although Sasuke isn't big on talking these days, which is understandable) and he no longer has to lie awake at night trying to ensure they all survive to adulthood.

Naruto is his usual self once more, resilient as ever. He might be committed to becoming Hokage and enduring Iruka's private training sessions, but he's irrepressible as ever. There's even been some instances of graffiti in the village the Kakashi feels certain he's responsible for.

Sasuke might not be talkative, but when he does speak it is with candor and a genuine tone of remorse for his actions. Even Ibiki is impressed by the level of cooperation and has even agreed to testify as to Sasuke's character when it comes time to present his case. It's a testimony that will go a long way, considering the head of Torture and Interrogation has absolutely no stake in the remaining Uchiha's rehabilitation.

Sakura isn't quite back to normal, but whenever she sees him she has a smile at the ready. There was a rough patch in the first month following the end of the war – and a week in the psyche ward that Tsunade refuses to elaborate on – but her work in the hospital keeps her busy. And she's visiting Sasuke on a regular basis, which is a relief.

Maybe Kakashi's an old romantic, but there's something fundamentally wrong with a world where Sakura might not forgive Sasuke. Or where her feelings for him don't endure. Even knowing that not every story ends happily, and that there is still the possibility of it going wrong, Kakashi continues to bet on them even after all these years.

Literally.

He has an ongoing wager with Tsunade, who says Sasuke is too damaged for them to ever have a future. The Legendary Sucker is his guarantee that his former students – his friends – will one day be happy.

Now it's just Naruto who needs to get a clue, he thinks to himself as Tenzou's clone wanders in.

"Lord Hokage," he says, bowing.

"Knock it off with the 'lord' stuff," Kakashi grumbles.

"Hey, you wanted to be Hokage –"

"No, I didn't –"

" – so now you can be 'Lord Hokage' with a vengeance."

"I should put you on latrine duty…"

"You've already got me following around a snake, it wouldn't be much different."

"You did volunteer," Kakashi reminds him.

They smirk at one another, and Kakashi leans backward. "Alright. What's the news?"

"Orochimaru is back in his hide-out."

"The one close to Konoha, I gather, considering your presence."

"Yes. He seems to want to stay close, in spite of his recent trip to Suna."

"Did you check in with the Kazekage?"

"Yes. Lord Gaara said Orochimaru simply wanted access to some old storage. I managed to get a look at the information he was after first – I think the old bastard wanted me to see it, to be honest – but there was nothing dangerous in it as far as I can tell."

"Fine. Continue to monitor the situation. I'm surprised Gaara allowed him that much."

"I think Gaara is giving him a chance," Tenzō muses, "but then again, Orochimaru is sneaky. I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to pull something off under all our noses."

"Maybe. Maybe not," Kakashi says, fishing in his slew of papers for a particular memo. Once he finds it, he passes it to Tenzō. "Look at this."

His former subordinate frowns at the paper. "What is it?"

"That's a petition sent out by the new council in Oto. They want official recognition as a legitimate shinobi village."

Tenzō gapes. "Are you actually considering it?"

"It's a topic of discussion," Kakashi confirms, taking back the paper. "There would be conditions, of course. Curbing the violence there is a main one. Another is that Orochimaru will no longer have decision-making powers. The fact that they could even demand that without worrying he'd kill them suggests he might be more interested in other things these days. In any case, it will be a long time before anything officially happens."

He can see that Tenzō continues to have reservations, but he doesn't air them.

The two of them converse a little longer, but eventually the clone disappears. Either Tenzō has moved out of range, or he no longer has the energy to maintain the jutsu. In any case, Shizune is nowhere to be found and Kakashi doesn't want to waste another second at the office.

He practically sprints from the Tower to his apartment, and then half-way there thinks better of it.

People know to look for him there, and he just wants a few hours of peace and quiet.

(It's an indication of how desperate he is, considering there is nothing quiet or peaceful about Manako.)

The tiny flat above the demolition and supply shop is brightly lit when he gets there, suggesting she is still awake. As usual, he bypasses the front door, choosing instead to climb inside through the window. Upon entering, he inhales the mouth-watering scent of food. It seems he was right – somehow, without him even asking her, she's already brought take-out from their favourite yōshoku restaurant.

He wanders past the spread on the table and into the living room where his wife is curled up on the couch.

She's wearing nothing but one of his long shirts, boxers and a pair of thick socks, swinging her feet back and forth while she scribbles something on a pad of paper. Probably calculations for a new explosive device or other.

"I don't care what they say about you, you are a good woman," he tells her as he falls heavily onto the empty space beside her. He lets his head fall back on the pillow and considers the merits of sleeping now and eating later.

Hot food or cold food…yet another decision…

"Don't spread rumours," Manako tells him. "I just don't feel like scrounging for food the rest of the week, so I ordered a lot. For leftovers."

"Oh. Of course," he allows. "Let me never again mistake your laziness for forethought."

"Damn straight."

She pushes away the page of calculations and sits up, appraising him. "You look like crap."

"I feel like it."

"The Icha Icha movie is on in fifteen minutes if you want to watch. Might make you feel better."

Kakashi grunts in agreement. He likes that idea.

"I don't care what we do as long as I don't have to think about it. All day long, people bringing me news, expecting me to make decisions – it's exhausting."

Manako is quiet for a long moment at this, and he figures there's a fifty-fifty chance of her mocking him for whining or showing a rare bit of sympathy and offering him a neck massage. He really hopes it's the latter.

"I guess now's probably not the best time to tell you I'm pregnant, then," she says instead.

Kakashi snorts. Figured it would be closer to the first option.

"Yeah, now would not be a good time…"

"Well, too bad," she retorts, "because I am."

Kakashi cracks one eye open and glares at her. "Seriously, that's not funny. I've had a long day."

"Seriously, I'm not joking," she snaps. "There are about six pee-sticks in the bathroom that can show you how much I'm not joking."

Silence fills the apartment, and as every second ticks by, it becomes more and more evident that she's being completely serious.

"So," she eventually says, arranging herself on the couch with her ankles and arms both crossed, raising an eyebrow at him in challenge, "let's discuss."

終わり

Yes, it's a little bit of a cliffy/open-ended ending, but I thought that was appropriate given the flow of the entire fic. It is all about laying the groundwork for the future, so I hope I've managed that.

Thank you all for reading! Reviews and concrit are much appreciated - and if you're feeling generous, find out how you can support my writing by checking out my tumblr!

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